Question 1

The desire for a new Mongol empire, now allied with Islam, created opportunities for military action to unite and settle the nomadic tribes of Chaghatay, leading to the rise in the fourteenth century of _________, or Tamerlane.

Accepted Answer

Temur Gurgan, also known as Tamerlane, rose to power in the fourteenth century, leveraging the desire for a new Mongol empire allied with Islam to unite and settle the nomadic tribes of Chaghatay.

Question 2

A particular problem for the long term health of Humayun's dynasty was the _________, or the creation of a regular system for previously improvised or ad hoc activities or things, of traditional nomadic succession practices among the House of Timur's rulers.

Accepted Answer

The correct term is "institutionalization," which refers to the process of establishing something as a norm or standard within an organization or culture. In the context of Humayun's dynasty, the institutionalization of nomadic succession practices meant formalizing these previously ad hoc or improvised practices into a regular system, which could create challenges for the dynasty's long-term stability.

Question 3

In the wake of the collapse of the Mongol Empire, the largest in world history, the Central Asian heartland of the Turkic peoples evolved into a _________, many of whose rulers claimed descent from Genghis Khan.

Accepted Answer

After the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Central Asia didn't consolidate into a single political entity but fragmented into a variety of smaller states. Many leaders of these states claimed lineage from Genghis Khan to legitimize their rule.

Question 4

Under Akbar's leadership, the Mughal armies were able to bring the eastern, southern and western flanks of their lands into their fold and again anchoring Islam in the former areas of its influence, the heartland of Northern India, or _________.

Accepted Answer

Hindustan is the term historically used for the northern and parts of the central regions of India. Under Akbar's leadership, the Mughal Empire expanded significantly, consolidating Islam in these regions, which are collectively referred to as Hindustan.

Question 5

Because of the difficulties involved in Humayun's own succession to the throne, his death was kept a secret for several weeks, while the court worked out plans for a ___________, or the setting up of a guardian for an underage or incapacitated monarch to rule in his or her stead, for the emperor's son, fourteen-year-old Jalal ud-Din Akbar.

Accepted Answer

A regency is the period of governance by a regent who rules on behalf of a monarch who is unable to rule due to youth, absence, or incapacity, fitting the context of arranging for a guardian for the young Akbar.

Question 6

The Mughals' primary challenge for control over Hindustan and the crucial Silk Road trade came from the _________ princes and their Persian allies.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Mughals' primary challenge for control over...

Question 7

Akbar ordered the building of the city of Fatehpur Sikri to give thanks to and honor the memory of _________, a Sufi holy man who had predicted the birth of a male son to Akbar, on the site of the holy man's camp in the village Sikri.

Accepted Answer

Akbar ordered the building of Fatehpur Sikri to honor Salim Chisti, a Sufi saint who had predicted the birth of his son.

Question 8

As was the case in China, the "inner" world of the household and the "outer" world of business, politics and warfare were clearly defined by _______.

Accepted Answer

The "inner" world of the household and the "outer" world of business, politics, and warfare were traditionally defined by gender in many societies, including China. This division often relegated women to the domestic sphere and men to public life.

Question 9

The Mughals' expansion into Bengal foreshadowed a clash with a very different kind of enemy, the Shan people of Southeast Asia called the _________.

Accepted Answer

The Mughals' expansion into Bengal indeed foreshadowed a clash with the Ahoms, a group of people from Southeast Asia, specifically from the region that is now part of modern-day Assam, India. The Ahoms were known for their unique administrative and military tactics, which posed a significant challenge to the Mughal expansion efforts in the northeast frontier of the Indian subcontinent.

Question 10

These discriminatory religious policies also created great distrust and many difficulties in dealing with self-governing, non-Muslim groups within the empire, most notably among the _________, who blended Hindu and Muslim traditions.

Accepted Answer

The Sikhs, known for blending Hindu and Muslim traditions, faced great distrust and difficulties due to discriminatory religious policies within the empire they were part of. This blending of traditions and the resulting tensions were particularly notable in the context of the Mughal Empire in India.

Question 11

Despite these internal conflicts, Aurangzeb's military prowess helped him to secure key areas that had long eluded Mughal efforts: Bijapur, Golconda and much of the Maratha lands of the _________ region of South Central India.

Accepted Answer

Aurangzeb's military campaigns were notably successful in the Deccan region of South Central India, where he managed to annex the kingdoms of Bijapur and Golconda, as well as subdue much of the Maratha territory.

Question 12

In the realm of the visual arts, and just like with the Safavid Persians and the Ottomans, one of the more interesting aspects of Islam as practiced by the Mughals is that, like the prohibitions regarding wine and other intoxicants, the injunctions against depicting the human form in art were often largely ignored in the _________.

Accepted Answer

The Mughal Empire, known for its lavish art and architecture, often featured depictions of the human form in the private chambers of the royal court, despite Islamic injunctions against such imagery. This reflects a nuanced approach to Islamic law, where certain prohibitions were more flexibly interpreted by the elite.

Question 13

While this new philosophy did not end Akbar's military campaigns, which he saw as ordained by God, it ultimately did lead him to conducting spirited religious debates with his subjects and formulating a new religion he called _________.

Accepted Answer

Akbar, the Mughal Emperor, formulated a new religion known as Din-i Ilahi, which aimed to merge the best elements of the religions of his empire, reflecting his eclectic approach to religious policy.

Question 14

By borrowing heavily from Sufi mysticism, Persian court protocols, Zoroastrian sun and fire veneration, and even Muslim and Christian Neo-platonic spiritualism, Akbar's divine faith sought to:

Accepted Answer

Akbar's divine faith, known as Din-i Ilahi, aimed to limit the power of Sunni Islamic clerics and create a syncretic religion that would draw followers from various religious backgrounds, promoting tolerance and unity within his empire.

Question 15

A century before Akbar, Indian mathematicians had pushed their calculations of the value of pi to within nine decimal places, and expanded their facility with trigonometry to the point that some of the fundamental concepts of infinite series and _________ had been worked out.

Accepted Answer

Indian mathematicians, notably in the Kerala School, had indeed developed some of the foundational concepts of calculus well before the time of Akbar, which was a significant advancement beyond algebra, geometry, or scientific notation.

Question 16

Shah Jahan did away with the _________ of former Mughal rulers and established a more legalistic and exclusively pro-Muslim environment more aligned with Sunni theology, a trend which would reach its pinnacle of power under the reign of Shah Jahan's own son, Aurangzeb.

Accepted Answer

Shah Jahan moved away from the religious tolerance and pluralism that characterized the reigns of his predecessors, such as Akbar, who promoted a syncretic religion known as Din-i Ilahi, which incorporated elements from various faiths. Shah Jahan, in contrast, adopted policies that favored Islam more exclusively.

Question 17

The House of Timur's new rulers, especially his son Humayun, were now faced with the problem of consolidating, organizing, and administering Babur's vast domain. Unfortunately, Humayun's interests were geared more toward _________ mysticism, poetry, astrology, and, at times, wine and opium than they were toward responsible leadership.

Accepted Answer

Humayun, the son of Babur and a ruler in the House of Timur, was known for his inclination towards Sufi mysticism among other interests. Sufism is a form of Islamic mysticism that emphasizes introspection and spiritual closeness with God.

Question 18

In order to defend Hindustan, the Mughals built a series of fortresses throughout their inner domains and along the frontier. Which of the following is not the site of one such fortress?

Accepted Answer

Hyderabad was not the site of a fortress built by the Mughals to defend Hindustan. The Mughals did construct fortresses in various locations, including Allahabad, Lahore, and the Red Fort in Delhi, as part of their military and administrative strategies. However, Hyderabad, while an important city in the Indian subcontinent, was not a location where the Mughals built a fortress for the purpose of defending Hindustan.

Question 19

Under Aurangzeb, there were two major trends: the start of an ongoing decades-long war with the Marathas, a federation of fiercely independent Central Indian clans; and his controversial bid for a more robust and legalistically effective _________ of Mughal India.

Accepted Answer

Aurangzeb aimed for a more robust and legalistically effective "Islamification" of Mughal India, which was controversial and led to significant resistance and conflict during his reign.

Question 20

During the seventeenth century, all but one of the following European nations largely supplanted Iberian influence in the region:

Accepted Answer

The answer of During the seventeenth century, all but one...

Quiz 20: The Mughal Empire: Muslim Rulers and Hindu Subjects, 1400-1750